SWMBO and I spent a few days at the weekend discussing changing our cars and agreed that we would wait till the 5008 was out for hers, and that mine would wait till after the summer. Today saw and drove a car I really would like. Typical! Its a black 59 plate C5 saloon VTR+, 50miles on the clock. Took it for a spin and now prepared to do a deal. The dealer is a very nice chap, and he was very apologetic as he was run off his feet, so he will call back tomorrow.
Mine to P/E is 57 plate Megan Estate, 1.9 CDi, Dynamique trim, 130bhp in metallic black with FSH, but 45,000miles.
His is on for £13500, I think to change cost should be around £6000 (giving £7500 for mine) - is that fair? On AT site a 57 Megan Estate is on for £9k
Also thinking of getting my company to buy it as its only the 1.6, so low emissions - anywhere I can look for good advice on company purchase (first timer)? Company is mine BTW, and generally I don't pay tax - just earn a minimum and dividends.
I know many of you will say don't - get a used Audi/BMW etc, but apart from the Merc C class I really didn't rate their quality of drive all that much. and that is out of my league.
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Gorgeous.
Dunno what they're like to drive, but lovely to look at.
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It drove very well. Back in March I drove a few different cars, partly to kill a little time a long way from home, but also to get a feel of what else I might be able to step up to if work went well. I was disappointed by X type, A4 and 3 series BMW - I really struggled to feel the wow factor. The Merc was very nice indeed - but at £22k? The C5 was smooth, gear change good, and whilst a little slow off the standing start, quickly reached 70 and cruised effortlessly. I would love the estate version, but that's another £3k, which I really don't have and to be honest I don't need - just looks good.
I agree that C5 looks good, but it felt good too - honest, and the right amoubnt of technolgy stuff, but traditional feel (eg dials and digital readouts)
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You might find the 2.0 HDI worth a look at only about £1,000 more.
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What has the 2.0 got that the 1,6 can't provide? I don't drive fast or furious, MPG is important. However I can be persuaded if I think its worth it....However the best I can see is £15k for a 2.0, so that's £1500 more.
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You mentioned in your previous post that the 1.6 felt a little slow off the mark...the few times i've driven C5's the larger engined felt that bit more torquey at low revs..maybe worth a comparison test drive before signing.
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Judging by other threads, the dealer will invariably 1) not bother to call you back today, and/or 2) offer you only 6500 for your Megane "'cos of the mileage" or some similar excuse! Hope I'm wrong though.
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"What has the 2.0 got that the 1.6 can't provide?"
The C5 is a big car and I suspect that (even a a diesel) a 1.6 will have to work hard to make decent pace (even if neither fast nor furious!). A 2.0 should be less busy, so more relaxing to drive, and give almost as good mpg.
Maybe I'm showing a little bias here, as I've always gone for the bigger engine option (both with petrol and diesel cars) and never regretted it. I remember getting 100,000 trouble-free miles, and 30+ mpg, out of an easygoing Renault Laguna 3.0 V6 (a 1998 model, before Renault's quality control dropped).
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I had a test drive of the 1.6 diesel in an estate last week and was surprised at just how lively it was. Having said that the rear was empty and there were only two of us in the car.
As I normally travel with a full boot and frequently with four people in the car I decided to go with the 2 litre version as I couldn't help but suspect that the 1.6 would end up feeling underpowered when fully laden.
I really couldn't find anything to fault on the car (a VTR+ Nav spec) which ticked all the boxes I was looking to be filled. The leasing deal looks good, even on the new 160bhp model. Just got to endure an 8-10 week wait for delivery
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Go for it if you like it, just be aware that it won't have Citroën's fancy Hydractive 3+ self-levelling suspension any more. You have to go for the Exclusive model (1 or 2 VTR+ models with larger engines get it too) to get that.
Whether you think this is a good thing or bad thing, is entirely up to you. :)
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Citroen minus fancy gizmo = good thing :-)
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Hmmm not sure the Citroen hydropneumatic suspension could be regarded as a fancy gizmo. It is a remarkable feature more in line with aircraft systems and has been well proven for some 54 years! It's a shame they seem to be gradually removing it from their cars.
I've not been in a new C5 yet but really like the look of them. I would query the 1.6 engine too though. A couple of years ago we hired a C4 Picasso with the 1.6 diesel for our holiday in Scotland. It went OK for such a small engine in a large vehicle but I missed the typycal diesel ooomph you get with a 2.0. As a result I had to drive it harder to keep up with motorway and Scottish hill traffic giving a dissapointing 45mpg overall. Both our old tech Citroen 1.9TDs would have done better on similar journeys.
Puts it in perspective when I think my Uncle's C3 has the same 1.6 engine... and it weighs some 400kg less!
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Hmmm not sure the Citroen hydropneumatic suspension could be regarded as a fancy gizmo. It is a remarkable feature more in line with aircraft systems and has been well proven for some 54 years!
I agree, it seems a lot less troublesome than conventional coil springs, which seem to be breaking left right and centre these days.
Fleet managers obviously don't agree, and it is them, after all, that C5s (especially lower range models) are aimed at. Sad, but inevitable, I guess.
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If you get the hydraulic suspension, you get an electric handbrake as a bonus too.
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Saw this- 09 no miles 2.0 diesel
www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/citroen/c5/2.0-diese.../
OP
Might be there are deals on 2 litre diesels around where you live
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"Also thinking of getting my company to buy it...."
"Company is mine BTW, and generally I don't pay tax - just earn a minimum and dividends"
This may have been possible in the good old days, but HMRC and DWP now take a much dimmer view of the 'minimum plus dividends' approach...
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Many thanks to all.
Dealer and I have spoken today, but still not struck a deal as yet.
I was happy enough with the pull of the 1.6, but I do know what everyone is saying about consideration of the 2.0. (its why we went with 2.2 for the Espace in 2006, although now replaced with 2.0) However to get a 59 2 litre version that will cost me around £1500 more, although thanks to some pointing out the 09 option, but if I am to change this soon, it must be a 59'er.
I thought the steel spring version coped well with some terrible roads that I drove yesterday - better than the Audi. And some have said that hydro feels too soft, so I would be happy with the cheap version.
I'll be back next week to let BR's know how it all went....
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And some have said that hydro feels too soft so I would be happy with the cheap version.
Perhaps. I find it quite clever. It's soft in normal use, but if you start chucking it about (or press the sport button) then it firms up impressively. The best of both worlds IMHO. Most complaints about the Hydro was with the previous generation C5. That had H3 and H3+. The low spec models only had H3, and that couldn't firm up, hence some people found it too soft. The H3+ is the only system used now, and that doesn't suffer from that problem...
Still, I admit that I'm not so taken with the system that I'd never consider anything else, but it is handy to have the option of extra ground clearance at the push of a button, saves owning a 4x4! ;)
Edited by TheOilBurner on 11/11/2009 at 17:36
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HJ
I agree that the low price will be as a result of the new engine and spec line up. We also all know that French firms do not sell cars for the advertsied prices. But £13500 for anew C5 is good if I can get half decent P/E
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I would agree with some of the other posts on here that the 2.0 hdi is the one to go for.
I have had my 2.0 litre C5 estate since August and done about 15k miles. The engine is well suited and copes with the weight well. (driver plus full boot)
The 1.6 felt peppy about town on the test drive but at motorway speeds the car got a bit noisier and you needed to plan your visits to the outside lane with greater care.
The sixth gear on the 2.0 keeps the refined wafting feeling right up to and beyond the speed limit.
The 2.0 also gets bigger wheels than the 1.6 VTR making it in my opinion a better looker with no loss of refinement.
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Forget the 2.0. Get the 2.2.
More torque at lower revs so you can drive it a gear higher and still get the performance of the 2.0 (and more besides) but the real world economy of the 1.6.
I've the 2.2 engine in my previous shape C5 and it gives me better economy than most people get from their 2.0's and better than some people's 1.6's.
It's a bit rarer though.
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I was looking at one of these to replace my S60 next year.
At that price I would have their hand off now. As HJ says, the price is going to rise.
I was looking at the 3.0HDi. List price in the UK at the moment is around £27k, the same car here in Germany starts at 38,900?.
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"Forget the 2.0. Get the 2.2"
Completely agree with that.
I would like a 2.2 one also. It makes the leap from acceptable power to a slightly happier place.
Too expensive for my company car choice sadly.
(My MPG is about 40 for the 2.0 if that is of interest to anybody)
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If anyone really wants the 2.2 they are going to have to be very quick.
I believe the new 160bhp 2litre diesel is replacing the 140bhp 2 litre engine and the 2.2 litre engine.
I am told (by the salesman) that the new engine has better emissions and better mpg. Hopefully I can better 40mpg slightly.
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That's right. The 2.2 HDI is no more.
I also noticed looking through the data, that the 3.0 HDI auto has practically the same fuel economy as the new 2.0 HDI auto.
Forget the new list price, buy a 3.0 V6 HDI at 1-2 years old (when the prices will be more realistic) and put some fun into your family barge... ;)
Ignoring that for a moment, the new 1.6 THP petrol with 155bhp looks nice for a 4 pot petrol. Shame they don't offer it in the Exclusive spec with H3+. In any case, I would much rather have one of them than the weedy 1.6 HDI.
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I sad I would let folk know what happened.
No deal. Not because dealer didn't call - he did - twice. But I fell ill. Real flu'. My documents were at home 230 miles away and I got train home (infecting the whole carriage i guess!) as I wasn't fit to drive. Planned to return to dealer on the Monday, but instead confined to bed for 3 days and not really thinking for 5.
By the time I'd come round, sorted myself out and finances and my business I called the garage - who had sold it as I hadn't replied to the dealers messages on my phone (which was switched off as it was my work mobile!).
So back to looking for a nice nearly new C5 where I can get reasonable P/e for the Megan or even trade in the Espace....
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